Nestled at 6220 South Ingleside Avenue in the heart of the Woodlawn community, is the AKARAMA Foundation Community Service Center. It is the headquarters of the AKARAMA Foundation, Incorporated, which was birthed 40 years ago, on October 14, 1981. The Theta Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority established the Foundation as a separate entity with a 501c (3) nonprofit status. Its purpose is to promote community service through volunteerism, collaboration, and programs designed to strengthen the economic, educational, culture, and health of communities. Under the tagline, Programs for People, the Foundation’s vision is “Members building individual, family, and community strength through impactful services.”
This imposing and eye-catching state-of-the-art edifice was opened on February 12, 2007. It provides educational, cultural, and socioeconomic development services for children, youth, families, and seniors in the Woodlawn and broader community. Since 1981, over $2.5 million has been raised to benefit community programs and scholarships. The Center is a tribute to the power of Black empowerment as it is owned by the AKARAMA Foundation, designed by a Black architect, and built by Black contractors.
The sole purpose of the Foundation is SERVICE. Indeed. Members, clad in their signature AKA pink and green, host events, sponsor forums, fan out to the community and work tirelessly to educate, enlighten, and make a difference for those it serves. Through the Foundation, tools are dispensed and advice is meted out that help the community improve their health, education, and economic status, realize their aspirations, and help them grow.
On October 23, 2021, the Foundation will hold its annual flagship major fundraiser, AKARAMA. Vynessa Alexander is the event chair. Proceeds go to help the Foundation continue the programs that engage and uplift the community.
Theta Omega is part of the global network of chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated — lovingly known as AKA. Founded in 1908, AKA is the oldest Sorority of college-educated Black women in the world. Starting with nine founders with a commitment to service, the Sorority now boasts 1,026 chapters and nearly 300,000 members in more than 55 nations and in all 50 states. While times, eras, and the attendant challenges have changed, AKA has remained consistent in its commitment to “serve all mankind.”
Under its international president Dr. Glenda Glover, the Sorority continues to thrive and make inroads into the communities. Inspired by the theme: Exemplifying Excellence Through Sustainable Service, its voice, presence, and advocacy has resonated from the grassroots enclaves to the highest corridors of power.
Alarmed by the jarring stats, AKARAMA Foundation’s Women’s Health and Wellness Committee acted with a sense of urgency. To broaden its reach and influence base, the Committee formed the Coalition to Reduce the Breast Cancer Mortality Rate Among Black Women (also known as The Coalition). Its purpose is to bring together local community health organizations and individual advocates to create programs aimed at decreasing the rate at which Black women pass away from breast cancer.
Since 1981, over $2.5 million has been raised to benefit community programs and scholarships. The Center is a tribute to the power of Black empowerment as it is owned by the AKARAMA Foundation, designed by a Black architect and built by Black contractors.
Its membership includes women of power and substance in every realm, including Vice President Kamala Harris. In her election night speech, she paid homage to her beloved Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Among the members in Chicago are power players Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton. AKA also boasts titans in Corporate America like Rosalind Brewer, CEO of Walgreen’s.
AKARAMA Foundation President Veletta Bell, also president of Theta Omega Chapter, has seen AKARAMA Foundation flourish under her administration, which began in 2020. Even amid pandemic-related challenges, which forced its doors to close, the Foundation continued to implement programs and served over 2,621 community residents through its virtual programming, including 741 youth.
“AKARAMA was founded to be a good neighbor. To that end, AKARAMA has rallied around the community with resources, a helping hand, advice and an array of programs – even during the throes of a pandemic,” said Bell. “Nothing could deter us. This is why we were founded and how we have delivered.”
She along with Kimberley Egonmwan, Vice President of the Chapter and Program Chair, guide the Foundation’s success.
International President Glover identified Education as the highest priority and Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Signature Program is #CAPSM, the abbreviation for College Admissions Process. It is under Target 1, HBCU for Life.
Heading the AKARAMA Foundation’s #CAP program is Patricia Turner.
“Our purpose is to assist in the communication and presentation of as much information and as many opportunities as we can to assist minority youths who are often first-generation students seeking college admission,” says Turner.
Because of the complexities and demands involved in making the transition from high school to post-secondary education, and with the shortage of staff, public school counselors feel overwhelmed and are not always able to provide the type of guidance students require.
This is where #CAPSM steps in. Its members – most of whom are educators–reach, counsel, and provide valuable resources for students and parents through workshops, seminars, and symposiums.
When COVID became a disrupter, the #CAP team did a little creative pivoting and reached students and parents who Zoomed in to get vital information crucial to students’ success. Over 600 students and parents “tuned” in and were appreciative and generous in their praise.
Its mission is aided through partnerships with PUSH Excel, Chicago Public Schools/Office of College and Career Success (CPS/OCCS), and CAP Committee of Leadership Mentoring Opportunities Foundation, Inc., of Lambda Mu Omega Chapter. City Colleges assisted by offering ACT and SAT test prep programs and financial aid sessions.
Registrations for the highly successful Scholarship Information Session led by CPS/OCCS exceeded 1,200 and resulted in the awarding of one billion dollars in scholarships citywide for each of the last five years.
As a way of “getting real” with the students, #CAP sponsored Rap/Chats where presentations were made to high school students by college students who hailed from University of Chicago, Spelman, Howard, Morehouse, Tuskegee, Columbia College, Xavier, Hampton, Kennedy King, Harold Washington, and NYU. By narrowing the age gap, the students were able to be more transparent, share their concerns more openly, and learn ways to cope. The topics covered the fundamentals of navigating college life. Students were candid about situations and even confessed that they valued their parents’ wisdom.
Women’s Health and Wellness is Target 2 in the Sorority’s and AKARAMA Foundation’s program schematic. Led by Dr. Cassandra Hall-McClain, the Foundation has made phenomenal strides reaching out, enlightening, and empowering women to attend to their health through resources that provide a treasure trove of information.
The concern is real and formidable. Black women have a roughly 40% higher mortality rate than white women. This disparity in the rate of death nationally is also true in Chicago, according to Chicago Health Atlas, the Chicago Department of Public Health’s database.
Coalition community partners include the University of Illinois at Chicago Cancer Clinic, Northwestern University Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Chicago Office of Community Engagement and Cancer Health Equity, Cancer Research and Awareness NFP, Beyond A Mammogram, Live Today Foundation and Equal Hope (formerly Metropolitan Breast Cancer Task Force).
While qualified women of any race/ethnicity are welcome to get free mammograms through the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP), the Coalition focuses on Black women. Anyone uninsured or under-insured can sign up for a free mammogram at https://bit.ly/FREE-MAMMOGRAMS
In a celebrated show of acknowledgment, last year, the American Public Health Association (APHA), the largest and most prestigious conference for those in the field of Public Health, honored the AKARAMA Foundation Coalition.
The Building Your Economic Legacy Committee is Target 3 in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s program apparatus. And, under Chairman Yolanda Bailey, the AKARAMA Foundation creates programs that empower the community to boost its economic standing.
One of the intriguing initiatives hosted by the Committee was the 2nd Annual Project Green: Virtual Perfect Pitch Competition. It featured an opportunity to gain valuable business advice – while winning some MONEY. It is part of the International Program Initiative of Entrepreneurship and the Black Dollar 365. Modeled after the Shark Tank TV show, 50 new entrepreneurs submitted applications while vying for over $10,000 in prizes. A team of judges from several business organizations, including the Chicago Minority Business Development Council, listened intently as the entrepreneurs pitched their businesses. The judges offered constructive observations and ideas designed to enhance their enterprise. The entrants were eventually whittled down with the first-place winner, Odessa Parkinson of the Blossom Girls Network awarded, $4,000. The second and third place winners were also awarded cash prizes. All received valuable exposure.
The Building Your Economic Legacy Committee is immersed in work that extends to men in need of support and validation. To that end, the Committee assists Featherfist, located at 9020 S. Langley, which serves homeless veterans. For the last three years, the Committee devoted the Martin Luther King, Jr., Impact Day to providing support to the veterans. Prior to the pandemic, the Committee made their annual King Day pilgrimage and donated 835 items that included men’s seasonal wraps, hats, gloves, scarves, socks, toiletries, and shirts. The residents were humbly touched by this show of love and care, which also included lunch catered by Roy’s Soul Food, a Black-owned business. Throughout the year, the Committee continues to show love through donations and celebrations. The Committee will resume its service there once health and government officials deem the city COVID safe.
AKARAMA Foundation’s Global Impact Program, Target 5 in the program grid, is headed by Alva Batey-Stepancic. This initiative is an affirmation that the Sorority’s reach and presence are international, with 55 chapters worldwide. Its main goal is to manage large-scale community service projects that influence communities across regions, borders, and oceans while engaging youth and adults in an outreach that increases their knowledge and understanding of being a world citizen.
Under Global Impact is an array of programs. The Refugees in America Assistance Program (RAAP) focuses on refugees of color in the U.S. by partnering with organizations that support and assist immigrants and their families integration into American life. One of their most compelling partnerships is with the United African Organization (UAO), a Refugee Center that promotes social and economic justice and civic participation while empowering African immigrants and refugees in Illinois.
In the past year – and as a show of support – the Foundation donated a cache of school supplies to UAO.On the celebration of Mother’s Day, the Committee contributed 25 diaper bags and 60 men’s toiletry kits for Father’s Day. Proceeds from the World Refugee Day activity, which the Committee hosted with an Around the World Tea, were gifted to UAO.
Other features of the Global Impact platform include the Soles 4 Soles Program, a partnership with The Lions Club International, where shoes are donated to areas of most need, including internationally. The Committee’s Pen Pal Program allows 6th to 8th-grade students from St. Croix in the Virgin Islands and pupils from Carnegie School in Woodlawn to discuss and share educational experiences, customs, culture, history, thoughts, ideas and treats. Theta Omega’s AKARAMA Foundation and Tu Gamma Omega Chapter in St. Croix created this educational experience, which has been in existence since September 2019. Currently, there are 344 students in the program.
The AKARAMA Foundation’s Ascending Young Pearls is a program exclusively for young girls grades 6-8. Led by renowned educator, Dr. Shirlen Triplett, its purpose is to address personal, emotional, and social development of girls. Recognizing the value of parents, their designation is “The Pearl Parents.” Guiding the program is a trio of passionate and highly-skilled mentors, who are members of the Foundation. With well-documented successes, the program has broadened to help those entering high school navigate the process. They are known as “Teen Pearls.”
AYP has been lauded for its role in transforming the lives of teen girls who were once adrift until they were embraced by the program. And parents sing the praises of AYP as they see marked progress in their children’s attitudes, grades, and outlooks on life.
That brings us to HBCU for Life: A Call to Action -Target 1. When International President Glover vowed that AKA would raise $1 million in one day for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), naysayers scoffed. Not one to be deterred, she rallied members around this lofty goal, and achieved what others thought “undoable.” She made – and kept – that same promise three additional years. This bold move underscores the value the Sorority places on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This year, AKA raised $2 million in one day for HBCUs.
Inspired by the number of members who are graduates of HBCUs who testify to the formidable role they played in their development, the AKARAMA Foundation’s HBCU for Life Committee actively raises monies. Led by Alleson Knox, the Committee has raised over $18,000 for the various initiatives that support the UNCF and the AKA Educational Advancement Foundation. In addition to “traditional” ways of raising money, the Committee partnered with Shawn Michelle’s Homemade Ice Cream, which devoted 15% of its sales to HBCUs. That initiative yielded $2,500 for HBCUs and made ice cream lovers deliriously happy. The Committee also encourages graduates of HBCUs to join their alumni associations and to make individual contributions.
All of these initiatives are embraced by the AKARAMA Foundation. Many in the community testify as to how the programs have catapulted families onto a higher rung on the economic ladder, strengthened their awareness about health, and provided platforms to improve their education. The energy and commitment of its members symbolize its purpose, power, and passion for the community. Undergirded by the Sorority’s mission, President Veletta Bell says the AKARAMA Foundation’s calling is rooted in the “strength of the sisterhood and in the resolve to serve.”
For more information, log on to: www.akarama.com Photos: Members join the Breast Cancer Walk Members pack items to be delivered to Featherfist (restrictions prevented us from being pictured with the residents) Veletta Bell – President of AKARAMA Foundation and Theta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Incorporated.
